


The American Way

by juehs34



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-09
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-04-30 21:01:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 14,119
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5179505
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juehs34/pseuds/juehs34
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When your tech savvy father passes on you are sent to S.H.I.E.L.D. to become an agent. Once you arrive you are thrown into the troubles that arise when the Avengers assemble to defeat Loki. While working this case you meet Captain Steve Rogers who seems to have his eye on you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

"One day I won't be around anymore and you'll have to help keep the world safe without me. Can you promise to do that?"  
"Yes, papa, I can."  
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. The sound of an alarm woke you from your deep sleep.  
"Ugh, it can't be time to get up already." You moaned looking over at your alarm clock. 5:45. "Yup, of course." You mumbled crawling out of bed, time to go help save the world. It had been almost two years since S.H.I.E.L.D. took you in. When your father had passed on and he made arrangements with the agency to train you. You had an idea that it was going to happen, after all your father and Director Fury were close friends and business partners. Even though you didn't have to follow the instructions left in his will (since you were over 18) you decided to do so anyway. It would be a learning experience.  
And here you were at the current SHIELD base, eating breakfast with Maria. Better known as Agent Hill.  
"You sleep well?" She asked sipping her coffee.  
"Decent enough. What about you?" You replied grabbing a piece of toast from the toaster.  
"Fine, thanks for asking." She smiled at you, and then went back to reading over a file. You sat down across from Maria. She was family to you now, sort of like a sister. She mothered you from time to time even though she wasn't that much older than you. Not that you minded, your own had passed away when you were a baby. She and Director Fury trained you and thanks to them you were now a fellow agent of shield.  
"Any new developments?" You ask taking a bite of toast.  
"No, Loki still has the tesseract in an unknown location." She sighed flipping the page of her file.  
"What about the doctor and Agent Barton?" You ask remembering the two compromised men that went missing with the asgardian.  
"Still missing." Maria sighed.  
"So what's our next move?" You hoped she had one. She always did.  
"Assemble the Avengers Initiative." She stated.  
"The what?" You asked raising an eyebrow.  
"I don't have the proper time to explain. Here you can read this over during your day." She said sliding the file across the table at you. Maria got up from the table. "I'll see you on the bridge." She said over her shoulder as she left the room.  
"Yeah, see ya." You replied opening up the file. Looks like you had a lot of homework to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Readers, just an FYI the story starts during the first Avengers movie. However it will progress though time. By the by sorry about the shorter chapters at the start. I promise they will get longer!


	2. Meeting The Captain

You were busy reading over the file Agent Hill gave you when the order came to put the craft into the air. All around you agents prepped the machine to take off. You turned on your computer and started typing commands in.  
"All engines operating, shield emergency protocol 193.6 is in effect. We're at levels, sir." You heard Maria speaking to Director Fury. You looked over in her direction and smiled to yourself. She always got the fancier computers.  
"Good, let's vanish." The director stated. You typed more codes in; the aircraft was now hidden from anyone on the ground. Now you had time to go back to reading the file.  
The Avengers was a simple idea, take earth's mightiest heroes and make them work together. Not a bad idea. You lifted your head again when you heard an unfamiliar voice talking to the Director. You looked the man over a few times. You recognized him from the file, it was Doctor Banner otherwise known as the Hulk. He wasn't the only unfamiliar face, there was another man. He was wearing a plaid shirt and leather jacket, clearly not an agent. Just who was he?  
"Who are you looking at?" Maria whispered. You almost jumped out of your seat.  
"Don't sneak up on me!" You whispered back.  
"Sorry, thought you got used to it," She apologized. "back to my earlier question."  
"I don't recognize him. Who is he?" You questioned your friend.  
"Didn't you read the file?" She asked crossing her arms.  
"I'm almost finished with it." You replied motioning to the packet on your desk.  
"Turn to the second to last page. That'll answer your question." She stated walking off.  
So you did as she said. Hm, Captain Steve Rogers, Oh that's who he was, Mr. Captain America. You heard something about him and ice awhile back. You scanned over the paper. Now you got why he was so special.  
You looked up in the direction of the super soldier. You had to admit he was handsome. You were looking him over when he turned in your direction. You cast your eyes back down at the file. You didn't want him to catch you staring at him. So you shut the file and went back to working on the computer. You hadn't been working long when a shadow fell across your keyboard.  
"What's up, Maria? You got anything?" You ask turning to face your friend. Instead you were greeted by the Captain. "Not Maria." You stated looking up at the blonde.  
"Yeah last time I checked I wasn't her." He chuckled.  
"Can I help you?" You asked the soldier.  
"Uh, yeah I was wondering if you had a paper copy of the files on this assignment. The electronic ones just confuse me." He explained , obviously embarrassed about his lack of understanding for electronics.  
"Its fine Captain, they confuse me too. Here, you can have my copy." You state handing the papers over to him.  
"Thanks, I'm Steve. Captain Steve Rogers." He introduced himself and offered his hand to you.  
"It's no trouble. I'm Agent Adams. You can call me (y/n)." You smiled up at him and shook his hand.  
"Pleasure to meet you." He smiled back.  
"Likewise." You reply with a grin.  
"Well, I'll leave you to your work." He stated bashfully letting go of your hand.  
"See you around." You state still smiling as he walked off. You certainly wanted to get to know him better soon.


	3. What’s Up Doc?

After hours of searching we had finally found a lead on Loki and the Tesseract. It was a town in Germany and the director sent the Captain in to retrieve the artifact. You roamed around the bridge for a bit not sure what to do; you couldn't do anything at the moment. You wished the Cap was around; you'd love to talk to him.  
There was one other person that you could go talk to, Dr. Banner. That one could get you in trouble though, what if he turned into the Hulk? Better ask Maria first.  
"Hey, Maria." You called out to your friend.  
"What's up, (y/n)?" She asked looking up from her screen.  
"I was wondering if I could go talk to Dr. Banner." You muttered looking down at your feet.  
"Why would you want to do that?" She asked.  
"Get to know some new people." You admitted. It was always the same people when it came to Shield. You wanted to talk someone new.  
"Hm, I'm not sure about that one. He's not stable by any means." The agent thought aloud. "You can't stress him out, be calm."  
"Is that a yes?" You asked trying to control your excitement.  
"Go on, just be careful." She sighed as you scampered off.  
You wandered around the base for a bit looking for the laboratory that was Dr. Banner's. Eventually you found it. Okay easy part done now comes the hard part. How do you get in there? Let's just try knocking. You knocked three times and then waited. The doctor appeared as the door opened.  
"Can I help you?" He asked nervously.  
"I was just wondering if you needed anything." You stated grinning at the doctor.  
"Uh, no thanks." He stammered. "Do I know you?" He asked looking you over.  
"You might have known my father?" You offer.  
"He would be?" The doctor prodded, motioning you into the lab.  
"Mr. Adams of Adams Incorporated." You stated.  
"Ah, yes the technology firm. I recall doing business with them a few years ago." Dr. Banner said. "Please sit down."  
And that opened a gateway to a new friendship. It turns out that Dr. Banner, Bruce, worked with your father when you were little, before his accident anyhow. Soon you heard Director Fury over your earpiece,  
"We have Loki." Was all that came over the intercom. You looked up at Bruce.  
"I have to go, they have Loki." You apologized moving towards the door.  
"That's good, I'll see you around." Bruce waved as you ran out of the lab.


	4. Just What Is Galaga?

Loki was behind bars, at least for now. You had wanted to see Loki come in but Maria told you no. She said that this guy was crazy and who knew what he would try to you? It was better to not let him see your face. You reluctantly agreed. It took a lot of work to put him there and somehow we gained two new members in the process: The demigod Thor and Tony Stark also known as Ironman. Everyone was currently watching Director Fury talk to Loki in his cell on the many screens located on the bridge.  
You stood next to Maria and watched the screen intently. He alluded that he knew about the phase two project, how did he know about that? You barely knew what it was besides a new form of weaponry shield was producing. Just like that the screen clicked off. Maria motioned you to follow her up to where the Avengers were sitting. You followed close behind and stood by her side as the superheroes talked.  
"An army, from outer space." The captain stated looking around the table. He looked so done with everything that was going on. As if to say 'You thawed me for this?'  
"So he's building another portal." Bruce explained. You listened intently as the group talked. "What does he need the Iridium for?"  
"It's a stabilizing agent." Ah, finally time to meet Mr. Stark. "It means the portal won't collapse in on itself like it did at Shield." The billionaire moved towards the main computer system. What was he up to? "Also it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants. Raise the mizzenmast. Jib the topsails." You stated wide eyed at him. Was he trying to pretend to be the Director or something? "That man is playing Galaga!" He pointed out one of the agents supposedly working on the computer. You turned to see who it was. "He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."  
When you turned back the Captain cast a questioning look. You offered a sympathetic smile in his direction; you'll explain it to him when you had a chance. You turned your attention back to Mr. Stark. He was covering one eye with his hand. "How does Fury even see these?"  
"He turns." Maria stated.  
"Sounds exhausting." He then started talking science speak with Dr. Banner. "I'm a personal fan of how you lose control and turn into a giant green rage machine."  
"Doctor Banner is only here to help us track down the cube." Director Fury entered the room. "I hoped you might join him."  
"You might want to start with that stick of his." Captain Rogers interjected. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."  
"I don't know about that," the Director stated. "But it is powered by the cube. And I would like to know how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys."  
"Monkeys? I do not understand." Thor stated.  
"I do!" Steve called out. He looked pretty excited, not to mention proud of himself. He cast his gaze over towards you and grinned, "I understood that reference." Everyone was silent for a moment,  
"Shall we play, doctor?" Mr. Stark asked.  
"Right this way, sir." Dr. Banner stated and just like that they were off. Thor followed Agent Romanova off to god knows where and the Director walked off to monitor everyone's progress. Maria gave you a little push in the Captain's direction and winked. Then she went back to her post.  
"So how was Germany?" You asked trying to start the conversation.  
"Pleasant, I haven't been there in quite some time." The Captain stated. "Please sit down." He motioned to one of the many chairs surrounding the table.  
"Thanks. So how did capturing Loki go?" You ask sitting down next to the super soldier.  
"Pretty well, he did manage to toss me around a bit." He admitted.  
"Are you alright?" You ask, you didn't want him injured. You still needed him for the rest of the mission.  
"Yeah I think so. He did manage to hit my stomach pretty hard." He stated.  
"Do you need any medical attention? I have a first aid kit if you do." You offered.  
"Could you just check to see if everything's alright?" He asked looking you in the eye. You noted he had beautiful blue eyes, ones that you could stare into for hours.  
"Y-yeah, sure. Follow me." You stammered caught off guard for a moment. You got up from your chair and lead Captain America towards your room. Once you were outside your door you almost smacked yourself,  
"You'll have to go change real fast; I won't be able to check anything with that suit blocking the way." You explained to the captain.  
"Makes sense, I'll be right back." He nodded and headed off in the direction you could only assume his room was in. You entered your own room and turned on your speakers. You wanted some background music while you worked but nothing too loud or annoying. You flipped through your albums until you came across one you thought the captain might enjoy. You popped the cd in and made it so you'd only be able to hear it if the room was completely silent. You hummed to yourself as you grabbed your first aid kit and some washcloths. You had no idea how bad the Captain's injuries were, it was best to prepare for the worst. In less than a minute there was a knock on your door.  
"Come in!" You called out. Steve appeared in the doorway. You looked his outfit over a red and white tee shirt and some blue jeans. "Very patriotic." You commented with a grin. He looked down at his clothing.  
"Huh, I guess I am. I didn't even mean to do that." He laughed.  
"Alright follow me." You led him to your bathroom where the medical supplies were located.  
"You can sit on the edge of the tub." You instructed the soldier while opening the first aid kit.  
"Yes ma'am." The captain did as he was told.  
"Alright, tell me Cap. Where does it hurt?" You ask turning back to face the man.  
"Well, I know my knees got scraped up a bit. I'm more concerned about my stomach; I Loki hit me pretty hard there." He explained.  
"Ok, let's look at your knees first. Roll up your pant legs so I can see what I'm dealing with." You gave the Captain some more instructions. He did exactly as he was told. You bent down to look at his knees, "It's not bad just a few scrapes. I'll clean them real quick though; we don't want them to get infected now, do we?" The Captain was silent as you began to clean his knees.  
"Hey (y/n) do you hear that music?" He asked as you as you rubbed a damp washcloth over the cuts.  
"Yes, what about it?" You ask.  
"I just thought I was hearing things." He mumbled.  
"I can change the music if you don't like it." You stated.  
"Oh no it's fine. Just brings back memories." He explained.  
"I know what you mean." You replied rubbing Neosporin on his cuts. "Do you want me to bandage these?"  
"No thanks, what memories does this remind you of?" Steve asked.  
"The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie as a kid. I remember on Sundays my Dad and I would watch it." You stated throwing away the empty packets of cream. "What about you?"  
"I saw this movie in theaters with Bucky a few times." He replied.  
"Aw I wish I could've seen it in theaters." You stated, that would've been amazing.  
"It was something." He sighed caught up in his memories. You hated to interrupt his thoughts but you had to look at the next injury.  
"Okay Cap your stomach's next. Take of your top so I can check it out and then lay flat on your back on this rug here." You stated motioning to your soft plushy throw rug.  
"Whatever you say." He complied and took his shirt off. You averted your eyes for a moment. You didn't want to stare. He then lay down on the rug with his arms at his sides.  
"Okay, I have to see what I'm dealing with here." You kneeled down on the ground next to the super soldier. God you had to admit he was gorgeous. Your eyes trailed over his flawless chest, it looked as if it was carved out of stone. You shook your head, time to get to business.  
"Hm, there's some bruising in this area," You circled a purple splotch with your finger. "and over here as well." You pointed to a blue green patch of skin.  
"Yeah, I expected some with the force he hit me with." Steve stated.  
"Alright I'm going to apply some pressure to see where the worst spots are. Okay?" You explained.  
"Okay." He stated. You started at the top of his ribcage and gently applied some pressure.  
"Tell me when something hurts, even the slightest." You commented moving your hands to the other side of his body. He remained quiet, so far so good. You continued down his body in a snake like pattern: all the way to one side then down and repeat. Once you reached the end of his ribcage he started squirming under your touch. The worst spot was right above his belly button.  
"You can sit up, Captain." You stated getting on your own two feet.  
"So what's the diagnosis?" He asked looking up at you.  
"Acute bruising of your stomach area." You stated digging through your first aid kit.  
"Anything I should do about it?" He asked.  
"Well a few things help speed up the process of healing- Ah there it is!" You exclaimed pulling the small tube of lotion out. "One thing is you can ice it for 15 minutes every hour. No more than 15." You stated. "Eat some fruits and veggies, things that are high in vitamin C." You state. "Do painkillers work for you?"  
"To an extent." He replied looking up at you in awe.  
"Take some Advil then or some other painkiller. Read the bottle, don't take too many and shut down your liver." You stated. "And apply this lotion as much as you like. It'll speed up the healing process. I'll apply your first round for you, back on the ground."  
"Yes ma'am." Steve followed your orders without a complaint. He could've done this himself but you wanted to spend a bit more time with him. Not to mention get to touch all that eye candy. You opened up the small bottle of Aloe Vera and squirted a bit into your hand.  
"Heads up, it’s cold." You stated before starting to rub the cream onto the super soldier's stomach.  
"So where did you learn all this medicine stuff?" He asked lifting his head so he could look at you.  
"I was studying at Stanford to become a nurse when my father died." You explained.  
"What made you quit and join shield?" Steve asked curiously.  
"In his will, papa stated that he wanted me to start working at shield to learn to defend myself." You told Steve. "He had a lot of enemies." You added.  
"Oh I see." He murmured laying his head back against the floor.  
"Okay, all done." You spoke putting the cap back on the bottle.  
"Thanks for everything." Steve smiled over at you.  
"It was no trouble, I'm always happy to help." You smiled back. "Here you can keep this." You handed the bottle over to him.  
"So I can apply this as much as I want." He asked getting up.  
"Yup, once it dries up apply more. That's what I always do." You stated also getting up. You wiped your hands on one of the damp washcloths from earlier.  
"Alright, thanks doc." Steve said while pulling his shirt back over his head. Ugh, why did shirts have to be a thing?  
"If you need anything feel free to stop by. I'll be here or on the bridge." You said, hoping he'd visit when he had the time.  
"I'll make sure to stop by." He smiled down at you. You noticed that the top of your head only came up to his chin.  
"It's a deal." You laughed. "As much as this has been fun we should get you back to the bridge before everyone starts looking for you."  
"Good point but before I go, what's Galaga?"


	5. Attack on the Bridge

You had been working at your desk since the sun had come up. Maria had pulled an all-nighter while you had taken a hour long nap at your desk. There was no time for sleep, especially when tesseract was still missing. You hummed nervously under your breath as you worked. Time was running out, and the cube needed to be found. The last thing you wanted to witness was the end of the world.  
The last time you checked everyone was up in the lab trying to locate the cube. You looked up at the lab and could see that everyone was talking at once. No doubt they were arguing, they were all so different. You went back to work when- BOOM.  
The whole plane lurched in the sky, what the hell?! You started checking your computer to see what went down. It was one of the engines, which was not good. If another one went out we'd be on the ground. Luckily Mr. Stark and the Captain were on the case, they'd have the engine fixed in no time. That was only one problem of many. When the engine exploded the blast threw Doctor Banner to a lower deck of the ship causing him to Hulk out. So there was one engine down, a Hulk rampaging throughout the ship and a-  
"Grenade!" Maria screamed right before a blast threw her in the air. You jumped out of your chair to take cover and used your desk as a barrier. Good thing you had a gun on you at all times. You whipped it out and peeked over your desk, men in armor were trying to enter the bridge. You hesitated to shoot since the director was so close to them. Thankfully Maria took care of the only one left attempting to harm Director Fury.  
"(Y/n)," She called out over the headset. "Do you copy?"  
"I copy." You replied ducking back down behind your desk.  
"I need you head down to the detention level as back up for Agent Coulson." She instructed you over your earpiece.  
"Understood, I'm on my way." You replied and then rolled out from behind your desk. You managed to navigate through the bridge without sustaining any injuries. The next part was going to be tricky; navigating the ship without running into hostile forces? You decided to take every shortcut you knew and were almost to the sententious cell when the ship began lurching to the side. Had you lost another engine? By the way your ears were beginning to pop you could tell you were losing altitude, fast.  
Suddenly there was a huge crash that sounded like it came from the detention cell area. You raised your gun and proceeded silently, who knows what's was back there? You peeked around the corner and didn't see Loki anywhere. What you did see was Agent Coulson on the ground bleeding heavily.  
"Phil!" You ran over to your friend and kneeled down beside him.. "What happened?"  
"Loki." Was all he said. You looked around for something that could help slow his bleeding. "(Y/n)!" He gasped.  
Before you had time to react a cloth was covering your nose and mouth. You struggled to break free from your attacker's grasp but everything faded to black in a matter of seconds.


	6. The Asgardian

When you awoke you were in a strange unidentifiable room. It might be nice to mention you were tied to a chair which you noted was bolted to the floor. Awesome. You struggled in your seat trying to loosen the ropes that were around your wrists, but to no avail.  
"It's no use in trying to escape." A voice called out that you immediately recognized as Loki's. "There are guards surrounding this room and I'm the only one allowed to enter." He appeared in front of you.  
"What do you want?" You growled. Phil was most likely dead thanks to this bastard.  
"Aw, don't have that attitude my dear. You should be thrilled to be here." He smiled slowly approaching you.  
"And why am I here?" You asked glaring at the demigod.  
"Why you're going to be the queen of earth." He smiled down at you.  
"I thought you just said queen of earth. I must have something in my ear." You mutter shaking your head back and forth. Maybe you had water in your ear from yesterday's shower? Aw who were you kidding?  
"I said exactly that." He stated staring you down. "I needed a worthy human at my side during my reign as king."  
"How am I worthy?" You asked furrowing your eyebrows.  
"Your remarkably pretty, not to mention you have a fiery attitude. I like that." He took another step forward.  
"Nice try, Comet, I'm not gonna play any reindeer games." You poked fun at his hat that made him have antlers that rivaled a buck's.  
"Was that a joke?" He asked taking another step. Entering into your personal bubble.  
"Yes it was. Now take a step back before I kick your ass." You threatened the demigod. You knew you couldn't take him in a fight, but you'd sure as hell go down swinging.  
"You are quite the feisty one." He commented placing his hand on your cheek. "You'll be a good mother."  
"All right that's it." You bit his arm and then spit in his general direction when he took a step back.  
"Well then, it seems I have no other choice." Suddenly he disappeared.  
"Where the hell did he go?" You hissed out looking around the small room.  
"Right here." You felt a fist collide with your face over and over again. Once again you faded into darkness.


	7. You Wake Up and They Say We Won

You woke to something ice cold placed on your face.  
"What the-" you began to lash out blindly.  
"Whoa whoa (y/n) it's alright!" A familiar voice exclaim.  
"Steve?" You opened your eyes, which was harder than usual to do.  
"Yeah I'm here, you're safe." He smiled down at you.  
"Where am I?" You mutter looking around; you were in a different room than earlier.  
"Stark tower, we have medics on the way." He stated.  
"I don't need a medic." You stated lifting your head off of the pillow. An ice pack falls onto shoulder. "So that's what was so cold."  
"(Y/n) please stay still, we don't know how hurt you are." The captain put his hand on your shoulder and gently pushed you back down onto the bed.  
"I know, I'm beaten around my head. That's it, a minor concussion at worst." You say bluntly staring up at the ceiling. "My eye is swollen isn't it?" You ask.  
"Your left one is, yes." He confirmed your thoughts.  
"Awesome." You sigh and shut your eyes. You didn't have any symptoms of a concussion. You were just bruised beyond belief. "I swear I'm fine can I get up please?" You asked.  
"No, not until the medics arrive." Steve insisted.  
"Just get Bruce he'll tell you." You sigh.  
"He's uh preoccupied at the moment." He chose his words carefully.  
"Steve what's wrong?" You asked opening your non puffy eye. You noticed that his uniform was covered in dirt. Also his face had a multitude of small cuts and bruises, different ones from yesterday. "Why are you- oh god. Did he attack New York? Where is everyone we gotta evacuate the city!" You scrambled out of bed.  
"(Y/n)!" Steve called out. "Take a deep breath everything's under control." But you were already out the door and greeted with an almost completely demolished room.  
"Oh god." You squeak out. "Oh my god." You looked out the massive hole in the wall. You saw the city trashed and covered with the bodies of hundreds, if not thousands, of alien corpses. You missed the battle; you didn't do anything to help.  
"We won." Steve stated from behind you. You jumped a foot in the air. Under normal circumstances you wouldn't have reacted but all this was a major shock to your system.  
"Where's Loki?" You ask turning to the Captain. Trying to act like you didn't just almost jump out of your skin.  
"In a holding cell, soon to be back on Asgard." He replied. "What did he do?" He narrowed his eyes.  
"How do you-"  
"You have a look of pure hatred on your face." He stated taking a step closer to you.  
"Well besides all this," you motioned to your battered face. "He said he was planning on making me queen of the earth."  
"What?" The Cap asked sharply.  
"Yeah the creep wanted me to have his weird little alien babies." You shudder remembering the events from earlier today.  
"You’re safe now." Steve stated taking another step towards you.  
"How can you be sure of that? What if he comes back wanting to make creepy little aliens with me?" You exclaim.  
"That won't happen." The captain stated putting a hand on your shoulder. "I won't let it happen." You looked up at him for a moment before giving him a hug. You buried your head in his chest, terrified that that monster of a man would be coming back any second. "It's alright, I got you." Steve wrapped his arms around your protectively and held you close to him. He had been so worried when he heard the news that Loki kidnapped you. He was just as thrilled as you to be at each other's side once again.


	8. Parting Ways

It was three days later and you had new orders. Acquaint Captain Steve Rogers with the 21st century. He had new orders as well, protect you at any cost. Director Fury stated that in your father's will it said if you were ever harmed Shield should hire a bodyguard to protect you. If the director had picked anyone else you would've been less than thrilled. He said this way he'd kill two birds with one stone. Steve agreed to the plan wholeheartedly as did you.  
At the moment you were with the other Avengers in Central Park seeing Thor and Loki off. You glared in Loki's direction and he winked back at you. Steve noticed and wrapped a protective arm around you. You turned your attention to the tesseract which was placed in a safe container. That would sent the two demigods back to their home planet. You and the other Avengers watched as the two disappeared into thin air. Just like that all you were saying goodbye to each other.  
"Hey don't do anything foolish." You overheard Mr. Stark telling Steve. "We don't need an army of super soldier babies just yet." Oh god. Did he just really ask that? Natasha noticed your horrified expression and moved in your direction.  
"Here take this, might come in handy." She handed a handgun over. "I know it's saved my hide more than once."  
"Thanks Natasha." You thanked your fellow agent.  
"Don't mention it." She smiled.  
"Just take these. She'll know what they're for. Put them in your pocket for now! No one wants to see those lying around!" You heard Mr. Stark's frantic hushed whispers. You didn't even want to guess what he was giving the Captain. You chatted amongst yourselves for a few more minutes until.  
"Hey you ready to go (y/n)?" Steve called out. You turned in his direction and saw him next to what you presumed was his motorcycle.  
"Yeah!" You smiled back at him. "Well I'll see you guys around." You said to the rest of the team.  
"Keep in touch." Doctor Banner said as he got in Mr. Stark's car.  
"Will do." You spoke as you swung a leg over the cycle.  
"Hey don't forget your helmet." Steve said handing you a white helmet with red and blue stripes around the base.  
"Wouldn't dream of it." You replied placing the helmet on your head and then wrapping your arms around Steve's waist.  
"You ready to go?" Steve asked.  
"Yup, let's go!" You replied with a giant smile. Just like that you were to start a new chapter in your life, one that you were going to share with a certain super soldier.


	9. Shopping With Steve

"Hm, let's see what else is on the list." You muttered to yourself. "I think I have everything. Looks like all I need is-"  
"Chocolate chips?" Steve appeared at your side with a large bag of the delicious treats.  
"How did you know?" You laughed as Steve placed the bag into the shopping cart.  
"You said you were going to make cookies tonight. I just thought they were going to be chocolate chip ones." He explained looking over at you.  
"Well you were right. Do we need anything else?" You tapped your chin you just knew you were forgetting something.  
"Isn't that why you brought the list?" He asked.  
"Yeah but I feel like I'm missing something." You replied looking back down at the crinkled paper.  
"Here let me see." Steve looked over your shoulder. "We have Flour, sugar, eggs, bread, and bacon. We got the veggies, fruit, juice, beers, chocolate chips, vanilla extract, and popcorn." He rattled off the list. "I think we have everything."  
"Wait did you say soda?" You asked looking at the food in your cart. It took a lot of food to feed Steve's super soldier appetite.  
"No," Steve stated starting off in the direction of the bubbly beverages.  
"Grab some Coke and whatever looks good." You called out as you pushed the cart behind him. He made a sharp left turn and disappeared for a second as you turned the cart into the aisle he entered.  
"Can we get this?" Steve stood at the front of the cart with a six pack of sodas in glass bottles.  
"Of course," You smiled as he delicately placed the bottles into the cart. "Anything else?"  
"Nope I think we got everything." Steve replied. "Ready to head back home?"  
"Yup let's go checkout." You pushed the cart forward towards the cash register. You paid for the groceries using the credit card Shield provided you with and then headed home.  
You enjoyed these outings with Steve; it gave you a chance to see how he interacted with the new world around him. The trips were always comical because he would disguise himself. He didn't want people to recognize him as Captain America. Today he had on a pair of glasses and a base all cap covering his head. Thankfully you never had to wear a disguise. No one knew who you were.  
Once the two of you made it back to the apartment it was almost dinnertime.  
"So what's on the menu for tonight?" Steve asked as he helped you carry the groceries up.  
"Pot roast, it's been in the crock-pot all day." You replied as you opened the door to the apartment. A delicious smell hit your nose.  
"Well it smells awfully good." Steve said placing the groceries down on the counter. "I'll go grab the rest; you can finish getting dinner ready."  
"You got it, Cap." You smiled putting your bags down as well. You walked over to the crock-pot and lifted the lid a bit. The roast looked good to you. So you returned the lid to its place and started setting the table. Steve returned with the remaining groceries, and soon the two of you were eating your homemade dinner.  
"This is really good!" He praised your cooking between bites.  
"I'm glad you think so." You laughed taking a sip from your vintage coke bottle. "I have to say, this tastes so much better coming from a bottle."  
"That's how they used to always make it." Steve replied with a smile. "I'm glad they didn't change the recipe."  
"Oh they did." You stated nonchalantly.  
"What they did?" Steve asked looking at you with a puzzled expression. "Are you sure?"  
"I'm sure, but the new thing didn't sell. So they went back to the good old fashioned one." You replied with a grin. "I think you can still buy it on eBay, but don't hold me to that."  
"Huh, that's interesting." Steve replied taking another bite from his meal.  
This whole arrangement was interesting. You thought it would be hard to teach Steve about the ever changing world. To be honest you believed that he would be like a little ninety year old who hated anything technology related but that wasn't the case. He was learning remarkably fast and you had to keep coming up with new ideas to make the whole process fun. The last thing you wanted to seem like was a teacher. So you had introduced him to documentaries on anything he found interesting. While you looked for something that would help inform him on more than one thing at a time. Perhaps the history channel would work? But that might bore him too much.  
"(Y/n)?" Steve's voice brought you back from your thoughts.  
"Yeah Steve?" You asked. "What is it?"  
"I don't know I was going to ask you that." He replied.  
"Huh?"  
"You were staring at me for the past few minutes. Are you feeling alright?" He asked tilting his head, just like a confused puppy.  
"Oh I'm fine, just thinking. Sorry about that." You looked down at your plate you could feel the heat coming to your cheeks. They seemed to be doing that a lot more since you moved in with the super soldier.  
"If you need to talk my ears are always open." Steve smiled across the table at you. You smiled back,  
"Thanks Steve."  
"So are we going to bake cookies later or watch a movie?" Steve changed the subject. Ah yes that was another thing he enjoyed tremendously, movies. It didn't matter what decade it was from or how good the acting was, he loved them all. Good thing you invested in a Netflix account or the apartment would be overflowing with films.  
"How about we bake cookies then watch a movie afterwards." You suggested taking the last bite of your dinner.  
"Deal, I'm done." He stated putting his fork down.  
"Someone's excited," you commented getting up from the table. "You either can clear off the table or get the ingredients out."  
"I'll get the ingredients out, where's the recipe?" Steve asked getting up from his seat.  
"In the white box on the counter," you replied as you collected the dirty dishes from the table.  
"I see it." He stated flipping through the multitude of recipes. They had been your mother's but you had never tried cooking any of them before. You were always nervous yours wouldn't measure up to her cooking. "Here it is." Steve pulled a note card from the pile. He went to work trying to find all the ingredients as you put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. You stole a few glances in his direction; he was examining the recipe like it was for a mission. You chuckled to yourself as you sprayed off the table.  
"Where would Canola oil be?" Steve scratched his head.  
"Try the pantry." You stated opening the fridge and pulling out some other ingredients.  
"Where in the pantry?" He asked.  
"About eye level for me, so look around your shoulders." You suggested.  
"Found it." He pulled the bottle out from the cupboard and brought it over to you. "Do we have everything?" You scanned the card covered with your mother's handwriting on it.  
"I think so, let's get cooking!"


	10. Cooking+Technology+Steve= Not Good

Memo to self: do not have Steve bake unsupervised. All you did was leave the room for two minutes to put some slippers on and when you came back flour was everywhere.  
"Steve what happened?" You laughed walking over to the now white countertop  
"I was pouring the flour and this happened." He stated, motioning to the mess surrounding him.   
"Yeah that tends to happen with flour." You laugh looking into the bowl, "good thing flour was the first thing you put in the dry bowl, we don't have to throw anything out."   
"Sorry, I'll clean it up." Steve moved towards the sink.   
"No!" You jumped between the super soldier and the sink. "Don't add water, everything with turn to paste and you'll never get cleaned up."   
"Oh," was all he said.   
"Here use a dry paper towel to clean it up." You grabbed a towel from one of the clean counters and handed it to him.   
"Thanks, I guess I'll let you do most of the baking." He laughed while starting to clean the countertop.   
"That sounds like a plan." You chuckled adding more ingredients to the bowl. While Steve cleaned you continued to bake, humming to yourself. Once everything was in one bowl you made Steve do the mixing. If there was ever a good time to have a super solider in the house it was when something needed to be mixed.   
You kept a close eye on Steve as you put away the ingredients. It was an amusing sight; a super buff man tediously mixing a bowl of cookie dough. You had to hold back a giggle as you placed the last few items back where they came from.   
"Does this look good?" Steve asked.   
"Hm let me see," you walked over to examine the bowl. "It looks good but there's only one way to know for sure." You grabbed the mixer from Steve and wiped off a small bit of cookie dough.   
"What are yo-" Steve began as you tasted the dough.  
"Mmm, it's good." You smiled up at him.  
"You don't eat cookie dough! That's how you get salmonella!" Steve exclaimed.   
"Oh please, salmonella is just a myth created by the government to destroy happiness." You state eating another chunk of the uncooked dough.   
"I-you-what?" Steve stammered pulling the bowl away from you.   
"Relax, Cap, nobody gets salmonella from cookie dough. It's a thing of the past." You laughed. "Try some!"   
"I don't think that's the best idea..." He replied putting the bowl on the counter.   
"Oh come on try it! You're a super soldier you can't get sick from a tiny thing like cookie dough." You encouraged him with a smile.   
"If you insist..." He scooped a dollop onto his pointer finger and examined it.   
"Just try it! You'll like it, trust me!" You offered some words of encouragement. After a few seconds he finally tasted the dough. He thought for a moment,  
"That is pretty good." He admitted.   
"See I told up you that you'd like it." You smiled. "Now we have to put the dough on a cookie sheet and then they can can start baking."  
"Is this big enough?" He grabbed a tray from the counter.   
"Yeah that should work," you motioned for him to put the tray on the table. "Now we just put little balls of dough on it."   
"Sounds simple enough," Steve replied.  
Somehow the two of you managed to not burn the apartment down. The cookies came out pretty well and the two of you agreed that they were a success.   
"So can we watch a movie now?" He asked taking a bite from a cookie. You glanced over at the clock it was around 11.  
"It's a little late but why the hell not?" You laughed. "Go pick a movie I'll get the snacks."   
"Yes ma'am." Steve replied and went off into the living room to search for a movie. You put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and then poured two large glasses of milk. When the popcorn finished popping you put it in one big bowl, put some cookies on a plate, and carried them into the room. There you were greeted with the sight of Steve sitting on the ground shuffling through a metric ton of DVDs.   
"I brought the snacks," you announced.   
"You bring the milk? Steve asked without looking up.   
"Shit, I left them in the kitchen." You scampered back to grab the glasses. When you returned Steve had picked one out.   
"Ghost, good choice." You placed the milk on the coffee table. "Do you want to try to put the DVD in or should I do it?"   
"Um, I think I'll let you do that. We don't want a repeat of last time." Steve mumbled handing you the DVD. You chuckled remembering what happened last week when he tried to figure out technology. You had come home from the store to find Steve trying to cram a DVD in the VHS slot. Long story short your Castaway DVD broke into three large pieces. Steve didn't understand why you grabbed the remains in your hands and screamed 'Wilson!'   
"You got that right," you chuckled putting the DVD into the correct slot. "You picked a good one," you say down on the couch next to him so you guys could share the popcorn.   
"The cover looked interesting," he admitted, snatching a handful of popcorn. "You know because the title's ghost. There's no ghost on the cover so I was curious."   
"Trust me you'll like it," you pressed play and began to watch the film.


	11. Late Night Escapade

Somewhere between it being so late and the room being dimly lit you ended up snuggled next to Steve's chest. You must've fallen asleep there because the next thing you knew you were in your bed. You were about to get up to change into pjs but a noise outside your door made you stop. Was it a robber? You reached under your pillow where you kept your emergency 22 caliber pistol. You took the safety off and silently crawled out of bed. You could hear someone moving around outside so you carefully opened your door and peeked out. You didn't see anyone. After looking around to make sure the coast was clear you then snuck out of your room and into the hall, gun at the ready. You crept down the hallway and glanced around the corner. Someone was walking around in the living room. You snuck around the person until their back was to you and then you pounced, successfully knocking the person to the ground.   
"Don't move or I'll shoot!" You said angrily.   
"Ow..." Was all the man under you said.   
"Just who are you?" You asked sticking the pistol the man's head. He could be here to hurt Steve, there was no way you were going easy on this guy.   
"(Y/n), could you get off of me please?" Steve's voice asked.   
"Shit, Steve is that you?" You lifted the gun from the figure's head but remained on top of them, just in case this was a trick.   
"Yeah," he replied.   
"I'm so sorry!" You exclaimed hurriedly climbing off of him. In your rush you tripped over something and fell onto the floor. Now it was your time to say, "Ow..."   
"(Y/n) are you alright?!" Suddenly the room was illuminated and you shut your eyes because it was so bright.   
"Peachy," you reply slowly opening your eyes as they adjusted to the light. Once you regained your vision you looked up at the super soldier who looked rather panicked. "Don't worry, Cap, I'm fine." You laugh from your spot on the ground. What did you even trip over? You looked at the ground around you and saw nothing. Must've been your own two feet.   
"Are you sure?" He asked bending down so that he was eye level with you. "Your arm is pretty bruised up." You looked down at your bare forearm where a nasty black and blue patch was forming.   
"I've had worse," you laugh getting up from the ground. "What about you? I did tackle you rather hard."   
"I've had worse," Steve replied with a grin repeating your statement. "The gun did have me worried there for a minute."   
"Sorry, I thought you were a robber." You bashfully looked down at your feet. "What are you doing up anyhow?"   
"Couldn't sleep, I thought walking around might help." Steve scratched the back of his head.   
"I know just the thing to help fix that." You smiled walking over to the kitchen. You pulled the milk carton from the fridge and placed it on the countertop. You then rifled through the pantry to look for the honey.   
"What are you doing (y/n)?" Steve asked leaning against the counter.   
"Making something that'll help you sleep." You replied pouring the milk into two glasses and then popping them into the microwave.   
"I understand the milk but what's the honey for?" He asked raising an eyebrow.   
"It adds some sweetness." You reply with a tired grin in his direction. You glanced over at the clock that read 3 am. God you were thrilled that it was the weekend. The microwave dinged and you took the two mugs out. "Here add as much as you want." You handed the bear shaped container to Steve. He turned the container upside down and added a squirt or so then he handed it to you. You added only a small amount and then took a long sip. Mmm delicious. Steve seemed to agree as he took a long swig from the mug.   
"This is wonderful." He said pulling the cup away from his mouth. You chuckled at him, he had a mustache from the milk. "What's so funny?" He asked. You just continued to laugh. "Come on you can tell me." You motioned to his face and continued to giggle. He still didn't seem to understand.   
"You have a mustache, Cap." You grinned up at him.   
"I what?" He licked his lips. "Oh," he chuckled finally understanding just what was so funny. The two of you were silent for a moment until Steve broke the silence.   
"(Y/n) I'd like to thank you for everything you've done." He said looking at you with those beautiful blue eyes of his.   
"Aw you're welcome Steve." You could feel the heat come to your cheeks so you averted your gaze to the floor.   
"My eyes are up here," Steve said putting his hand underneath your chin and lifted your head so your eyes met his.   
"Steve?" You whispered. Just what was he doing? He leaned towards you and your lips were about to meet when the phone rang. Who the hell was calling at 3 in the morning?! You bashfully backed away from Steve and ran to pick up the phone.   
"H-hello?" You stuttered from the shock of what was almost happened only seconds ago.   
"(Y/n) I'm sorry to wake you at this hour but we need your assistance." Maria's voice came from the other line.   
"Right now?" You whined into the machine. You were exhausted all you wanted to do was sleep.   
"Not exactly right now but later today." She replied.   
"Then why are you calling now?" You complained to your friend.   
"Because I needed to let you know as soon as possible. Make sure you and Steve are dressed in black tie attire at 6 pm, we'll provide more information then." Maria said. "Till then, good night (y/n)."   
"Yeah you too." You replied ending the call.  
"Uh, who was that?" Steve asked awkwardly.  
"Maria, she has a mission for us." You replied putting the phone back where it belonged.   
"What is it?" He asked standing up straight, just like a good soldier would.   
"We need to be dressed for a black tie event at 6 pm." You said looking over at the captain. "No idea why." Before things could back they way they were before the phone call you hastily cleaned up his mug. "We need to get you to bed. You need your sleep for tomorrow."   
"Whatever you say doc." Steve replied heading off to his room. You however grabbed a flask of alcohol from your secret stash and poured a small bit into your mug. You then sat down at the kitchen table and proceeded to sip at your drink.   
What were you going to do? You couldn't have a relationship with Steve. He was a superhero and you were a nobody. The only reason why the two of you were living together was for business reasons. That's how you needed to see your relationship. Strictly business. Oh how you wanted it to be so much more! You sighed and flopped your head onto the table. Why was life so confusing?


	12. Securing Clothing

"(Y/n) wake up... Come on wake up." Steve's voice pulled you from your sleep. You opened an eye and saw Steve looking down at you. Hold on. You weren't in your room. You sat straight up and blearily looked around. You had fallen asleep at the dinner table. "(Y/n) are you alright?" Steve asked placing a hand on your shoulder.  
"Uh, yeah. I must've fallen asleep here last night." You mutter looking at your empty mug in front of you. Next to it was your pistol from last night with the safety still off. "Shit." You reach for your weapon and quickly put the safety back on. You didn't want anyone to be hurt because of a careless mistake you made. You glanced over at a clock and saw that it was 7:30am; a little early for you but by the looks of his outfit Steve was getting ready to go on a run.  
“So, uh, how are we getting black tie outfits within a day?” Steve looked down at you. “Um… I’ll call up some friends they should be able to help. You go enjoy your run, I’ll be fine.” You waved a hand towards the door.  
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Steve said stepping closer to you.  
“And why’s that?” You asked defensively.  
“Because, not to be rude, you look like a mess,” Steve looked down at you. “Here let me help you to bed.” He extended his arm out.  
“I don’t need any help, Cap. I’m perfectly capable of going to my bed without any help.” You stood up quickly and immediately regretted it. Your legs had fallen asleep overnight and you took two awkward steps forward before crashing into the super soldier. Lucky for you he was braced and ready for you to do exactly just that. He helped keep you on your feet as he gently led you to your room. “I’m fine.” You mumbled angrily.  
“Of course you are.” Steve rolled his eyes helping you into your room and onto your bed. “Now promise me you won’t get up and walk around while I’m gone.”  
“I promise.” You sigh crawling under the blankets.  
“Alright, I’ll be back within the hour. Try to get some more sleep.” Steve smiled as he left the room.  
“Whatever, Cap.” You sigh grabbing your cellphone from your bedside table. You’d catch some more shuteye as soon as your clothes for this evening were all set. "I'm so going to regret this..." You sigh dialing the all too familiar number. The phone rang twice before,  
"Hey there (y/n) I was wondering when you'd call! How's life with capsicle?" Mr. Stark's voice rang out from the other line.   
"It's nice to talk to you as well, Mr. Stark." You said with gritted teeth. You just knew he'd start asking lewd questions soon.   
"Tony," he corrected you. "Now I know you wouldn't call just to chat so what can I help you with? Is your super soldier having performance issues?"   
"No- I mean- that's not- we're not-" you stammered. Even though you knew this was coming you were still caught off guard.   
"Relax, I can help fix that. Anything else?" Tony chuckled. You took a deep breath to compose yourself before speaking.  
"I was wondering if there was anyway for you to deliver black tie attire to our apartment by 6 o'clock?" You asked hesitantly.  
"For you? Of course! May I ask what for?" You could practically hear his grin through the phone.   
"It's classified." You stated. To be honest you didn't know why you needed it.   
"Is it really or do you just not want to tell me?" Tony asked.   
"It's classified," you repeated yourself. You didn't know how secret this thing was.  
"I see well you came to just the right person. It'll be at your apartment door at a quarter to five." Tony stated.   
"Thanks Tony, I owe you." You replied.  
"Nah don't mention it. Just promise me one thing." He said.   
"Sure what is it?" You raised an eyebrow just what did he want?   
"Take a few pictures for me, alright? The designers want photos. Ok? Thanks!" He hung up the phone before you could reply. The designers wanted feedback? That meant the outfits hadn't been released to the public yet... Wow. You were going to wear a special designer gown. You put your phone back on your bedside table and then got settled under the covers. Soon you were fast asleep once again.


	13. Back in a Black Dress

"(Y/n)? (Y/n)? There's a package at the door with your name on it." Steve's voice woke you up from your deep sleep.   
"Hm, what?" You yawned as you sat up in bed.  
"A package arrived at the door with your name on it. " Steve said looking down at you.   
"It must be the clothes I called for," you mumbled rubbing the sleep from your eyes. "I had Tony mail some stuff over for us." You got up and walked to the kitchen where Steve had placed the box on the table. "I wonder what he sent?" You cautiously opened the lid of the box and peeked inside and let out a small gasp.  
"What's is it, (y/n)?" Steve asked curiously.   
"This dress... It's beautiful." You gushed as you pulled the black material from the box. A floor length gown came out and you were absolutely speechless it was so beautiful!  
"Wow," was all that Steve managed to get out.   
"Hey look he sent you a tuxedo," you focused your attention on the other item. "Wait what's that in the pocket?"   
"Here let me look," Steve stepped forward to stand next to you and he carefully put his hand into the pocket of the tux. "It feels like plastic," he commented as he pulled the item out. He opened his hand to show what Tony had stuffed into the front pocket,   
"Oh my god!" You started cracking up. In Steve's hand was,  
"A limited edition Captain America condom." Steve read the label in a deadpan voice.   
"What the hell Tony?" You continued to laugh. "Is this what he spends his time making over at Stark industries?"   
"Apparently, oh there's a note attached." Steve commented. "Thought this might come in handy. The world isn't ready for an army of super soldier babies just yet -Tony."   
"Ok wow. I'm going to call him up later and tell him off." You murmured glancing over at the clock, it was already four. "We need to start getting ready. Can you handle everything?" Cap glanced down at the contents of the box.   
"Yeah I should be fine." He replied. "See you in a bit." He scooped up the box and went off to his room. You hurried off to your room to start the process as well.   
An hour and a half later you were all set. You had covered the bruise on your arm with makeup, done your hair and actual make up, and had gotten into the dress with no issues. Speaking of the dress it absolutely flattered your figure. You'd have to thank Tony for that later... And tell him off for the whole Captain America condom thing. You stepped out of your room to find Steve walking around the kitchen fiddling around with something,  
"What's the problem, Cap?" You asked with a grin.  
"I can't get this bow tie to- wow." He glanced up and saw you in your dress. "You look beautiful."   
"Uh, thanks." You glanced down at the ground to hide your blush from him. "So uh do you need some help with that bow tie?"   
"Yes, if you don't mind." Steve answered. You raised your head and walked over to him,  
"Let's see if I still remember how to do this." You mumbled as you untied his previous attempt.   
"How did you learn to tie these things?" Steve asked as you started working the material through the familiar pattern.   
"When I was little I was obsessed with tying my dad's ties for work." You replied as you finished up the knot. "There, not too bad if I do say so myself." You adjusted the tie slightly so it was perfectly straight.   
"Thank you, (y/n)." Steve said with a smile on his face.   
"It was no trouble at all." You returned his smile with one of your own. He started to lean in closer to you and you did the same. Just as your lips were about to touch his there was a knock on the door.   
"Every time." Steve sighed as he pulled back.   
"Guess we just have bad luck." You replied as you went over to open the door.   
"Wow, (y/n), that dress looks great on you!" Maria greeted you.   
"Thanks," you replied with a grin.   
"Are you two ready to go?" She asked glancing inside the apartment.   
"Yeah I think so." You said. "Come on, Steve." The super soldier came to stand at your side.   
"So what is this mission?" He asked in a hushed voice.   
"I'll tell you in the limo. Come on now." Maria turned around and led you two towards the elevator. You wondered just what this mission was.


	14. The Limo

Once the three of you crawled into the limo you looked expectantly over at Maria.   
"So what do you need us for?" Steve asked your friend as the limo started to move.   
"We need you for reconnaissance nothing more." Maria replied.   
"If it was just some spy work why did you need us to do it? Call me crazy but isn't that something a lower level agent would handle?" You asked as you raised an eyebrow.   
"Normally that is the case but in this instance we need (y/n) for this plan to work." Maria said. "We're having the two of you infiltrate a gala held by Mr. Richard Smith."  
"What for?" Steve asked.   
"We caught wind of a hydra plan. If anyone was to have information on this it would be him." Maria explained.   
"Wait Mr. Smith as in the owner of Electric Enterprise?" You asked.   
"Yes, I thought you might know him." Maria said. "After all you received an invite to the gala."   
"Wait I did?" You were surprised the last time you had spoken to the man was years ago at a party your father held.   
"He said that as a friend of your fathers it was only fair to invite you." Maria stated.   
"So they're expecting me but not Steve?" You looked over at the super soldier.   
"That's correct, so Steve you will be George Wesson for the evening." She instructed the soldier.   
"Okay," Steve replied with a nod. It was a good thing he wore a mask, otherwise that would make this mission a lot harder. "How are we going to gather the information?"   
"Word is that Mr. Smith has an eye for any pretty little thing in his skirt and we do want to catch his eye don't we?" She smirked over at you. "Good choice on the dress, it's flashy and should draw attention to you. That being said make sure you two don't stick out too much. We need this information if we want to stop Hydra's plans."   
"Yes ma'am," Steve nodded his head in confirmation. You looked at your friend,   
"So what you want me to be is jail bait?" This guy last time you saw him was slightly younger than your father so by now he must be a wrinkled raisin.   
"Yeah, sorry about that (y/n)," Maria gave you a soft smile.  
"I don't want (y/n) to be at risk." Steve stated stealing a glance in your direction.   
"I'm fine, nothing's going to happen. If he tries anything funny I always have this." You patted your upper left thigh where you had a small knife concealed.   
"That's why you're coming along Steve." Maria said. "Your job is to keep an eye on her and if the man starts to get a little too comfortable then you step in and swoop her away."   
"I'm guessing we will need a signal then?" The last thing you needed was Steve interrupting a key part of the mission.  
"Alright then, how about you tap your thigh three times if you need me to come over." He suggested.   
"You got it, cap." You smiled at the super soldier.   
"Alright we're here," Maria said as the car door opened.


	15. The Gala

“Good evening, ma'am.” A man who appeared to be working the party said as he helped you out of the limo. “Sir,” he nodded politely to Steve as he got out behind you.  
“Thank you,” the two of you replied in unison. Steve glanced over and grinned at you, you smiled back.  
“Invitation?” The man asked as Maria drove off in the limo.   
“Oh, it's right here.” You handed over the envelope to the man and waited for a moment.   
“Thank you for coming Miss Adams and guest, please come inside.” The man ushered you into the building. Before you could enter the ballroom where the party was located, another worker offered you a tray full of masks.  
“I wasn’t aware this was a masquerade gala,” you said as you grabbed a simple black mask off of the silver tray. Steve grabbed a similar mask and covered his face.   
“Mr. Smith wanted it to be a surprise for all his guests,” The man explained.   
“I see, thank you.” You smiled before putting the mask over your face and entering the ballroom. You were immediately blown away at the sheer magnitude of this party. There were hundreds of people milling around in some of the fanciest clothing you had ever seen.  
“Well let’s try to have some fun while we’re here,” Steve said as he offered his arm to you.  
“I’m sure we will, now let’s find Mr. Smith,” you replied as you linked your arm with Steve’s.  
—————————-  
After an unsuccessful hour you sat down defeated,  
“You know these mask’s make looking for someone very difficult.” You huffed.  
“We just have to keep looking,” Steve said as he looked around at the sea of bodies. “I have an idea, follow me.” He pulled you up from your seat and practically dragged you towards the band. “Excuse me,” Steve tapped the conductor on the shoulder. The older man turned with a puzzled expression. Steve bent forward and whispered something into the old man’s ear. When Steve pulled away the man nodded in understanding. “Come on, (y/n).” Steve pulled you towards the empty dance floor.   
“Steve what’s the plan?!” You whispered nervously when the two of you reached the center of the dance floor.  
“You know how to dance, right?” He whispered as he placed one hand on your waist and the other in yours.  
“It's a little late to ask that," you hissed back.   
"Is the answer yes?" Steve whispered back worriedly.   
"Yes, the answer's yes." You replied.   
"Then just follow my lead," Steve said as the music started up. The two of you started to glide across the dance floor. You could feel the eyes of the other guests watch your every move. You silently thanked your dad for making you attend dance lessons, without those you would have totally botched this mission. "Are you ready?" Steve asked, bringing you back from your thoughts.   
"Ready for what?" You questioned the super soldier.   
"This," he then spun you in a circle then another and another. A handful of people started to clap as you finished spinning.   
"I thought some people would join us out here," you said as the two of you moved around the floor.   
"It's better that we do this alone," Steve replied as he twirled you around him. "We have a better chance of getting Mr. Smith's attention."   
"We need to do something really flashy then," you said as you glanced around at the masked faces. They were in pure awe as they watched the two of you glide across the dance floor.   
"I have an idea, do you trust me?" Steve asked.   
"Of course I trust you." You replied with a smile.   
"Then hold on," Steve then picked you up and spun you around and around and around. Oh boy you were starting to get dizzy. Thank god Steve let you down just as the song ended. A couple dozen people clapped and the two of you took a bow.   
"Do you think that got his attention?" Steve asked as he escorted you off of the dance floor.   
"Well done, I must say well done my dear!" An older gentleman approached you and Steve.   
"Well thank you Mister?" Could this be Mr. Smith?   
"Smith, Richard Smith, but you my dear can call me Dick." The old man said as he brought you hand to his lips.   
"(Y/n) Adams and this is my friend George Wesson." You introduced Steve to the target.   
"Oh you must be Frank's daughter!" Dick exclaimed.   
"Yes that's me." You nodded your head with a smile.   
"I must say you two are remarkable dancers!" Mr. Smith said.   
"Thank you, Dick. George, would you be a dear and fetch me something to drink?"  
"Sure thing, I'll be right back." Steve smiled and disappeared into the crowd. It was time to figure out just what Dick's connections to Hydra were.


	16. Reconnaissance

"I'm so glad you came to my gala, (y/n)." Dick said.   
"Well thank you for inviting me, it's a wonderful party." You replied with a smile. "So how have things been at your company?"   
"Oh simply marvelous! You know a reason why I invited you was because I was hoping we could discuss business." Dick smiled in your direction. Could this be the Hydra plan SHIELD caught wind of?   
"Then we should go somewhere a bit more private." You said as you looked around at the multitude of guests surrounding you.   
"Follow me my dear," the elderly man took your hand in his and pulled you towards a balcony. Once the two of you were outside he shut a pair of French doors behind you. You glanced back inside and caught sight of Steve carrying two glasses. The two of you made eye contact and he nodded his head in understanding, if things got a bit too creepy he would intervene.   
"So what's this business deal?" You asked bluntly. The faster you solved this mission the sooner you could get back to Steve.   
"Well a client of mine came to me in a time of need. You see they required new weapons." Dick explained.   
"Then why do you need my company's help? We don't make weapons." You asked puzzled as to why he needed your help.   
"That's just thing, (y/n). Your company doesn't need to make the weapons. We need you to make the technology that makes these weapons special." Dick said.   
"What type of technology?" You asked. If you could figure out what hydra wanted then you could stop their plan even before it took off.   
"A bullet, one that the target won't even notice when they get shot. It needs to be able to track the target's location." Dick said.   
"Well that certainly is a tall order, Dick. I'm not sure my company can create that." You said with a frown. Even if you were to take up his offer you had no idea if you manage that.   
"I'm sure you will be just fine, my dear. You father raised you right, you'll know what to do." Dick whispered in your ear and placed his arm around your waist.   
"Oh, uh, thank you." You stammered nervously. You were so done with this so you tapped your thigh three times. Hopefully Steve saw that. You couldn't stand much more of this! "But, uh, Dick I'm not available."  
"What are you talking about? You came here without a date, am I right?" Dick asked as his hand moved lower.   
"Uh, no, I came with George. Don't you remember? He was the one who I was dancing with." You wriggled out of his grip with the skills Maria taught you.  
"You're with George? I thought he was gay with those dance skills of his." Dick was completely bewildered.   
"Uh, no he's just a really good dancer." You said as the French doors opened to reveal Steve.   
"Were you two talking about me?" He joked as he handed a glass of red wine to you.   
"Thanks, babe." You stood on your tiptoes and pecked his cheek. Steve hid his surprise pretty well and just rolled with your ruse.   
"Anytime, sweetie." He wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you into his side. "Mr. Smith, I must say you know how to throw a good party." Steve smiled at the older gentleman.   
"Uh, thank you George." Dick stammered, obviously still in shock that 'George' wasn't gay. You heard the bNd start to play another song so you decided it was time to make your getaway.   
"Ooh, I love this song! Come on George let's go dance!" You started to pull Steve towards the dance floor once again. "Oh and I'll see why I can do about that business deal Dick! Thanks for the invite!" You then pulled Steve into the sea of people once more.   
"What happened back there?" Steve asked once you were out of Dick's sight.   
"He tried hitting on me, so I said we were together." You gulped down the entire glass of wine in one gulp.   
"(Y/n) is everything alright?" Steve asked as he gently placed his hand on your shoulder.   
"Yeah I'm good. You came just in time the creep was trying to feel me up." You muttered angrily. Steve didn't say anything but instead he took your hand and led you towards the dance floor. This time a slow song was playing and the two of you just rocked back and forth instead of being flashy.   
"It was smart letting him know we're together." Steve said as he looked into your (e/c) eyes.  
"Well we did come here together," you replied with a small smile.   
"(Y/n), are we really together?" He asked.   
"Steve," you started to reply but he cut you off.   
"You know what I don't wanna know the answer," Steve muttered.   
"I think you do," you replied as you cupped his cheek in your hand. After a few seconds you brought your lips up to his. It was as if everything around you froze in place, nothing seemed to matter other then the two of you. When the two of you parted both of you were absolutely beaming.   
"We're gonna have to keep this under the radar aren't we?" Steve laughed.   
"Yeah, otherwise we'll never hear the end of it from Tony." You said with a smile.


	17. The Morning After

The next morning you woke up wrapped in someone's arms. You slowly opened your eyes and looked around. Why were you in Steve's room? A quiet snore brought your attention to the naked man sleeping next to you. That's when you remembered what happened last night; the kiss, relaying the information to Maria, and what happened when the two of you got home. You gulped as you thought about what would happen after this. It wasn't written in your contact that you weren't allowed to sleep with an avenger but it probably wouldn't go over well with the agents.   
You silently crawled out of bed and moved towards the door but something caught your eye. Sitting on the top of Steve's desk was an open sketchbook. You argued with yourself for a moment; did you really want Steve waking up to the sight of you naked going through a personal item of his? The embarrassment would wear off eventually so you dared to peek at the image. You were absolutely stunned, sitting there on the desk was a sketch of you!   
You examined the picture closely, it depicted you sitting on a couch with a mug of coffee in your hands. It looked like a normal snapshot from your day to day life but you didn't remember Steve drawing you. Scratch that you never remembered him drawing period. He had been keeping his talent a secret from you but why? His work was magnificent!   
You did not dare to flip through the pages just in case Steve woke up. So you crept towards the door and tried not to let out a groan. The door was shut and if you tried opening it Steve would surely wake up. What would you tell him? 'Oh last night was fun but let's pretend like it never happened?' You weren't sure you could manage that, just imagine how awkward living with him would become! On the flip side hiding a relationship between the two of you could be equally as risky. What if Director Fury or Maria found out?  
Your musings were cut short by the sound of Steve stirring in bed. Shit. Time to make a decision and fast! You looked around the room for something to cover yourself with and saw a blue bathrobe draped over a chair. You hastily wrapped it around yourself and turned back around to check on Steve. Your (e/c) eyes met his bright blue ones. Shit he was awake.   
"Morning!" You tried defusing the tension that was hanging in the air.   
"G-good morning," Steve yawned out. "Did you sleep well?"   
"Like a rock." You replied. God, this was getting more awkward by the second.   
"That's good," he replied and there there was silence between the two of you. "Were you planning on leaving?" He asked after a couple seconds.   
"I-uh- I was cold." You lied as you pulled the robe around your figure. It was much too big for you but it was super warm.   
"I see," Steve said slowly. "Look (y/n) if you just want to forget about last night go on ahead. I won't mind it." No this wasn't what you wanted.  
"No Steve. I don't want to forget. It's just... Well... I'm pretty sure sleeping with an avenger is frowned upon at shield." You explained as you moved back over towards the bed. "I mean we can keep this a secret... Can't we?"  
"Only if you want to. If you want this to stop just say so." He stated.   
"Well I'm not saying no." You replied with a smirk. "Are you?"   
"N-no!" He stammered out.   
"Well then Mr. Rogers I think it's time we used one of those gifts from Tony..."


	18. Chapter 18

"Did Tony say what this meeting was about?" You asked as you stepped into the elevator alongside your super soldier.   
"No, which makes me a little worried. You know how he can be." Steve replied as the elevator doors shut.   
"Yeah I know." You sighed as you squeezed his hand. The two of you had so far kept your relationship under the radar but yesterday Tony called. You were pretty sure it wasn't about your relationship but one could never be too careful, especially around Tony Stark.   
"Good afternoon, Mr. Rogers, Ms. Adams." Jarvis greeted the two of you as the elevator rose.   
"Good afternoon, Jarvis." Steve replied. "Do you know why Tony called us here?"   
"I'm afraid I can't tell you, Sir. Tony wants the true meaning behind this meeting a secret." Jarvis replied. Well now you were a tad nervous.   
"I see." Steve pursed his lips and removed his hand from yours. The key to getting through this meeting was remaining inconspicuous. As the elevator doors open you were greeted by the billionaire.   
"Right on time! I knew I could rely on you guys. Follow me!" Tony led the two of you to a sitting area where Natasha, Clint, and Bruce were sitting.   
"Hey guys." You greeted everyone with a smile.   
"Long time no see. How've you been?" Natasha asked motioning for you to come sit next to her. You plopped down on the couch and conversed with the avengers for a minute before Tony called upon everyone's attention.   
"Avengers, and Agent Adams," he added casting a look in your direction. "I bet you're wondering why I called you here."   
"That has passed through my mind." Clint replied.   
"Well allow me to present you with The Heroes of New York!" Tony pulled back the black cloth that had been covering a small box behind him. Inside were action figures of all the Avengers.   
"You have got to be kidding me." Natasha mumbled. The rest of you just stared at the toys, really they were going to sell merchandise now?   
"Look we're heroes to kids all across the world. It only makes sense that we cater to their wants." Tony explained. "And I mean, come on. How cool is it to have an action figure made of you?" You glanced at the others, they seemed to be considering this.   
"If it makes the kids happy then I'm happy." Clint commented. Bruce nodded his head in agreement.   
"I already had action figure made of me, but what's one more?" Steve shrugged his shoulders. Three out of the four avengers were on board, Natasha seemed to be seriously thinking about this. After a minute of silence she nodded her head,   
"It would be good for girls to have someone to look up to. An action figure isn't that big of a deal." She stated with a small grin.   
"Ok awesome! Now that we got that out of the way I have another invention I want you to try... Avenger Popsicles!" Popsicles? Was he serious? Tony exclaimed as he ran to the freezer and pulled out a box. He was serious. "Right now we only have Hulk, Cap, and ironman flavored but my team is working on the others. Who wants to try one?" When no one raised their hand he let out a sigh. "Come on you guys their delicious! Here cap try yours, (y/n) here ya go." He passed one out to everyone. You cautiously opened the white wrapper to reveal a blue Popsicle.   
"Looks like you got a cap flavored one." Tony commented as he opened his own red Popsicle, must be ironman flavored. "You'll have to tell me if it actually tastes like him." You rolled your eyes and licked the ice pop, hm not bad.   
"It's very fruity." You commented. "Not bad."   
"Mines grape." Bruce said as he enjoyed his treat. "It has a good flavor."   
"Right now the lab's working on an all black one for Natasha. Once they perfect that one they'll move onto Thor and Clint." Tony explained. "I wanted you guys to taste test these before we released them to the general public."   
"You can't seriously be think ping of selling these." Nat asked. "We're agents not celebrities. We should be protecting the citizens not stealing their money."   
"It's not stealing when they demand it." Tony retorted. "Besides you all said it yourselves, they taste good. Put our faces on the box and everyone will love them."   
"Action figures are one thing but food is another. I think we should think carefully before proceeding." Steve stated.   
"Steve, it's Popsicles. It's not like I'm making a rocket with our faces on it." Tony laughed. "Come on guys give it a chance!"


End file.
